Food, Flavour and Fragrance Lab, Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, Sydney, 2109, Australia.
Institute of Psychology, University of Wroclaw, Wroclaw, Poland.
Eur J Pediatr. 2021 Jul;180(7):2049-2053. doi: 10.1007/s00431-021-03970-y. Epub 2021 Feb 10.
Olfactory training (OT), smelling odours, twice per day for an extended period, can improve the olfactory function in adults. The aim of the current study was to investigate whether OT can improve the olfactory function of children aged 8 years old. Odour thresholds and odour identification ability were compared between two groups across three separate testing sessions (baseline, 6-week post-baseline, 12-week post-baseline). After the baseline test, the control group (n = 21) completed 6 weeks of bi-daily OT with odourless stimuli, whereas the experiment group (n = 20) completed 6 weeks of bi-daily OT, smelling four different odours (eucalyptus, lemon, clove, rose). A repeated measure analysis of variance was used to test for group differences across the three testing sessions. Six weeks after OT had been completed, participants in the experiment group demonstrated a significant increase in odour identification scores (9.95 to 11.20), compared to the control group who demonstrated no increase (10.48 to 10.48). No group differences in odour threshold ability were found.Conclusion: Six weeks of OT enhances odour identification ability, but not odour thresholds, in 8-year-old children. What is Known: • Smell loss and dysfunction are associated with negative health outcomes such as depression and increased risk of consuming contaminated food. • Olfactory training can improve sense of smell in adults. What is New: • Olfactory training improves odour identification ability in 8-year-olds. • Olfactory training does not appear to enhance odour acuity in 8-year-olds.
嗅觉训练（OT），每天嗅两次气味，持续较长时间，可以改善成年人的嗅觉功能。本研究旨在调查嗅觉训练是否可以改善 8 岁儿童的嗅觉功能。在三个单独的测试阶段（基线、基线后 6 周、基线后 12 周），比较了两组之间的气味阈值和气味识别能力。在基线测试后，对照组（n = 21）完成了 6 周的双日嗅觉训练，使用无味刺激物，而实验组（n = 20）完成了 6 周的双日嗅觉训练，嗅闻四种不同的气味（桉树、柠檬、丁香、玫瑰）。使用重复测量方差分析来检验三组测试中组间的差异。嗅觉训练完成 6 周后，实验组的气味识别分数显著增加（从 9.95 增加到 11.20），而对照组则没有增加（从 10.48 增加到 10.48）。在气味阈值能力方面，两组之间没有差异。结论：6 周的嗅觉训练可提高 8 岁儿童的气味识别能力，但不能提高气味阈值。已知：•嗅觉丧失和功能障碍与负面健康后果相关，如抑郁和增加食用受污染食物的风险。•嗅觉训练可以改善成年人的嗅觉。新发现：•嗅觉训练可提高 8 岁儿童的气味识别能力。•嗅觉训练似乎不会提高 8 岁儿童的气味敏锐度。
